Penna Dexter

It’s Pride Month again. It used to be called gay pride. Now — in an effort to force the concept on all of us — it’s just Pride. 

There are Pride celebrations taking place across the country. The mayor of Washington DC proclaims her city “the gayest in the world.” DC has been hosting pride events for 50 years. And this year, DC is host of WorldPride, an honor in international LGBTQ circles.

But most cities where Pride celebrations are a big deal have been forced to pare back the festivities due to budget shortfalls.

Tony Perkins, President of Family Research Council, says major corporations have been  “quietly backing away from the signature events of Pride Month.”

AP reports that San Francisco Pride, well-known for its LGBTQ celebrations, “is facing a $200,000 budget gap after corporate donors dropped out.” Which donors? AP points to Comcast, Anheuser-Busch, beverage giant Diageo, and two other major corporate sponsors left unnamed. The Pride group in Kansas City also lost $200K — half their annual budget. NYC Pride “is fundraising to narrow a $750,000 budget gap after companies withdrew.” A spokesperson says approximately 20 percent of their corporate sponsors pulled some or all of their support, including PepsiCo. and Nissan.

AP cites research which shows that a growing number of American consumers don’t want companies to take positions on hot-button issues. Barbara Kahn, a marketing professor at the Wharton School of Business, told the news outlet, “There have always been people who said, ‘I don’t want my toothpaste to have an opinion, I just want to use my toothpaste,’ but the tide has shifted, and research shows there are more people that feel that way now.”

Family Research Council and other Christian organizations have spent years educating the public regarding Pride month and exposing the companies donating to it. Tony Perkins credits prayer and activism and says that “cultural change happened because people stood firm.”

Let’s keep pressure on.